How many ablations can you have

Cardiac ablation is on the rise in the United States, meaning more and more people wonder what to expect — not only during the procedure, but afterward.

Arkles explains. Thanks to advances in technology and expertise, ablations today generally last between 2 and 3 hours.

Ninety percent of ablation patients go home the next day. Arkles says. Most post-ablation discomfort has nothing to do with the heart itself. For a good number of patients, lying stationary for a few hours leads to a stiff lower back. Scarring helps prevent the heart from conducting the abnormal electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation. Sometimes doctors use a surgical approach instead. This is most common when a person is already having heart surgery for another reason. Some people have unpleasant symptoms from atrial fibrillation, like shortness of breath and palpitations.

Atrial fibrillation also greatly increases the risk of stroke. Anticoagulant medicines used for preventing stroke pose their own risks, and people on certain anticoagulation medicines require extra blood draws and monitoring.

The main reason for ablation is to control symptoms. It is not intended to eliminate the need for blood thinners for stroke prevention. Many people with atrial fibrillation take medicines to help control their heart rate or their heart rhythm.

Some people respond poorly to these medicines. In such cases, the doctor may suggest ablation to correct the problem. Ablation may be more likely to work long-term if you have atrial fibrillation that has lasted for 7 days or less. It may be less likely to work long-term if you have more persistent atrial fibrillation. Ablation might be a good option for you if you have no other structural problems with your heart. It also might be a good option for you if you have symptoms from your atrial fibrillation.

Currently, healthcare providers treat most people with medicine before considering ablation but ablation can be considered a first line alternative to heart rhythm medicine.

Ask your doctor about the pros and cons of the procedure in your particular situation. You may have specific risks based on your specific medical conditions. Be sure to discuss all your concerns with your healthcare provider before your ablation.

Most people who have atrial fibrillation ablation have a successful outcome. There are some risks associated with the procedure, however. Although rare, there is the risk of death.

Other risks include:. You are more likely to have complications if you are older or if you have certain other medical and heart conditions. Another risk is that the procedure may not permanently eliminate atrial fibrillation. Sometimes atrial fibrillation will come back shortly after the procedure or several months later.

You might be more likely to have this problem if you are older, have other heart problems, or have a longer duration of atrial fibrillation. Performing the ablation again can permanently eliminate atrial fibrillation in some of these people. Talk with your doctor about what you should do to prepare for your atrial fibrillation ablation.

Avoid eating or drinking anything before midnight of the day of your procedure. Let your doctor know if you are pregnant before having the procedure. Ablation uses radiation, which may be a risk to the fetus. Access your health information from any device with MyHealth. You can message your clinic, view lab results, schedule an appointment, and pay your bill.

For many people with atrial fibrillation AFib and certain other abnormal heart rates known as arrhythmias, medications do not work to reduce their symptoms. Cardiac ablation, a minimally invasive treatment, can successfully treat many arrhythmias, preventing serious complications such as sudden cardiac arrest.

Doctors at Stanford are at the forefront of research to improve cardiac ablation using the latest technologies. Our arrhythmia team is pioneering new ablation therapies that will lead to better outcomes for patients. The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. Visit our online second opinion page to learn more. If you are a new patient and want to request and appointment or need help finding a doctor, please call , Option 3.

If you are a returning patient, call , Option 2, to request an appointment. Our doctors have years of experience in providing patients with safe, effective cardiac ablation treatment. We are committed to better outcomes through new ablation technologies to provide excellent care for people with AFib and other arrhythmias. We offer minimally invasive procedures using catheters thin, flexible tubes inserted through blood vessels to access the heart. Our team has specialized expertise in advanced catheter ablation to treat most arrhythmias and certain types of structural heart disease.

Our doctors may opt to use a robotic system to control the movement of the catheters. The robotic system allows the electrophysiologist to have more precision and stability during the procedure, providing better outcomes. Learn more about the different types of catheter ablation procedures we offer:.

At Stanford, our arrhythmia team is one of the first to develop hybrid surgical-catheter ablation to treat persistent AFib. This ablation procedure combines catheterization with thoracoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive surgery involving a few small incisions in the abdomen.

Our surgeons begin the hybrid procedure using a thoracoscope thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera at the end and long, thin instruments. They access the area outside of the heart to perform ablation there. Our electrophysiologists then perform catheter ablation inside the heart.

Learn more about hybrid surgical-catheter ablation and our participation in the national clinical trial for the procedure. Our colleagues in heart surgery perform ablation using minimally invasive laparoscopy and open-heart surgical procedures. The surgeons use either energy hot or cold or cuts to create scar tissue on the heart.